Weighing and indicating apparatus



(No Model.) 9 Sheets-Sheet 1.

v T. H. WARD. WEIGHING AND INDIOATING APPARATUS.

No. 342,550. Patented May 25, 1886.

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(No Model.) 9 SheetsShe'et 2.

T. H. WARD. WEIGHING AND INDIGATIN'G APPARATUS.

No. 342,550. Patented May 25, 1886.

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(No Model.)

, T. H. WARD.

WEIGHING AND INDIGATING APPARATUS.

No. 342,550. Patented May 25, 1886.

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(No Model.) 9 Sheets-Sheet 4. T. H. WARD.

WEIGHING AND INDIGATING APPARATUS.

No. 342,550. Patented May 25, 1886.

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T. H. WARD.

WEIGHING AND INDIGATING APPARATUS. No. 342,550. Patented May 25, 1886.

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WEIGHING AND INDIGATING APPARATUS.

No. 342,550. Patented May 25, 1886.

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WEIGHING AND INDIGATING APPARATUS.

Patented May 25, 1886.

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(No Model.) 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 T. H. WARD. WBIGHING AND INDIOATINGAPPARATUS. No. 342,550.

Patented May 25, 1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS HENRY IVARD, OF TIPTON, COUNTY OF STAFFORD, ENGLAND.

WEIGHING AND INDICATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 342,550, dated May 25,1886.

Application filed July 2, 1SR5. Serial No. 170,525. (No model.) Patentedin England December 8, 1883, No. 5,678, and April 9.5, 1534, No. 0,904.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS HENRY WARD, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain and Ireland, and a resident of Tipton, county of Stafford,England, have invented certain Improvements in XVeig-hing and IndicatingApparatus, (for which I have obtained British Patents No. 5,678, datedDecember S, 1883, and No. 6,804, dated April 25, 1884,) of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates more especially to weighing and indicatingapparatus of the class for which I have obtained Letters Patent of theUnited States No. 304,587, dated Septemher 2, 1884, and in which thedial and pointer are combined with spring-plates, the deflection ofwhich under the weight or strain causes the indication.

The object of my invention is to so construct a weighing or indicatingapparatus of this character as to prevent injury thereto from suddenstrains or jars, and this object I attain by combining, with thespring-plates,dial,and pointer, an independent]y-yielding connectionbetween the operative spring-plate and the pointer, as hereinafterdescribed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of aweighing apparatus to which my improvement may be applied. Fig. 2 is arear view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side view. Fig. 4 is a verticalsection, drawn to an enlarged scale, of the operative parts of thedevice. Fig. 5 is a corresponding side view with one of thespring-plates removed. Figs. 6 and 7 are corresponding views of amodification, and Figs. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 14, 15, and 16 areviews of various modifications.

In its principal features the apparatus may be similar to theconstructions illustrated and described in my aforesaid Patent No.304,587, and in the construction illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5one of the blades or springplates, A, carries a frame, B, to which isattached a dial, a, and in which is mounted the axis 1) of the pointerb. This axis 1) has a pinion, Z), with which engages atoothed quadrantor rack, O. The latter is fixed upon a shaft, 0, which is adapted toturn upon pivotpoints 0 Fig. 5. On the shaft 0 of the quadrant 0 is freeto turn a bearer or piece, D, which I term an anvil, and which is causedby a spring or weight, (I, to press against the quadrant or rack O, tocause it to remain in the normal position illustrated in Fig. 4. Aspring or weight, 0 of less power than the spring (I, is combined withthe quadrant C, so as to tend to move the quadrant or rack O in thereverse direction to that in which the spring (1 tends to cause it to bepressed by the anvil I). The preponderance of the said spring cl causesa steady pull upon the rackG in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 4. Astriker-hammer or bearing'pin, c, is connected to the other blade orspring-plate, N, so as to bear upon the anvil, as shown in Fig. 4.

\Vhen the machine is not subjected to sud den shocks or jars, but simplyto the steady strain or weight of the article being weighed or tested,the hammer or strilzer pin a presses upon the anvil D against the actionof the spring (I, and the quadrant or rack 0, being thereby relievedfrom the action of said spring d,is acted upon by its spring cfland sooperates the pinion If, to move the pointer I) over the dial a, toindicate the weight or strain.

\Vhen the apparatus is subjected to a violent or sudden shock orjar, thestrikerpin e, by its sudden action upon the anvil D, will separate thesaid anvil D momentarily from the quadrant or rack C, which will followonly by the small force exerted by the spring c. By means of thisyielding connection, therefore, between the operative spring-plate andthe axis of the pointer, the injurious effect of sudden shocks or jerkson the apparatus will be avoided, and the rebound also from the shock orjar will be prevented, or prevented to a considerable extent, frominjuring the parts or gearing, transmitting the motion to the pointer inproportion to the power of the spring 0. If the said spring be only of apowcrsufficient to operate the pointer, the rebound will have takenplace to agreat extent before the quadrant 0 comes into contact againwith the anvil.

In order that the striker-pi n 0 may be caused to bear upon the anvil ata point which will give the proper leverage, I mount the said pin so asto be able to give it an eccentric adj ustment, so that by turning itaround I can vary the point of bearing 011 the anvil.

As will be seen on reference to Fig. 4, the

striker-pin e is threaded, and is adapted'to a correspondiugly-threadedopening ina bushing, which is secured to the spring-plate A by suitablenuts,e. The openingin thebush- 5 ing, through which the bearer-pin epasses, is at an angle to the axis of the bush, as shown in Fig. 4, or,in other words, runs diagonally through it, so that the bearing-point ofthe hammer or pin e is eccentric to the axis of adjustment of the bushon the plate A. Therefore, by loosening the nuts 6 the bushing ofthe pinmay be rotated to change the bearingpoint of the pine. The latter issecured in the bushing by a. jam-nut, c, after it has been adjustedlongitudinally. Owing to the ability to thus adjust the bearingpin e, Ican make the grad-nations of a number of dials from one matrix, and thusdispense with the necessity of marking each dial independently.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 6

and 7, the springs 11' and c are somewhat differentl y arranged, thespring 0 being acoiled spring, Fig. 7, which is connected to the axis bof the pointer, while the-spring d isa volute 2 spring fixed at one endto a box forming part of the anvil D and at the other end to the axisupon which the anvil turns. In other respects the device issubstantially like that above described.

In the modification, Fig. 8,'I have shown the quadrant or rack asprovided with. a spring, F,.the free end of which is connected to thespring-plate A by alink, f, while the plateA carries the frame B, onwhich the quadrant O is pivoted, as. usual. The spring F will normallybear upon a stud, g, on the quadrant; but when the apparatus issubjected to-sudden shocks, the springF will yield and pre-' ent injuryto the machine inthe mannerde- 40 scribed above with reference to Figs.4 and 5.

In the modification, Fig. 9', Ihave-illustrated the applicationv of mypresent improvements to another construction of weighing apparatusillustrated and described in. my above-cited Patent NO.-3043,587. Theplate A carries a rack, K, which gears into the pinion-.1) onthe axisofthe pointer, but I interpose a yielding connection between the rack andspring-plate A by mounting the rack K to slide upon a-rod,

5o= k, which is pivoted at k to an attachment on the spring-plate A,andbetween the tubular rack K and thespring-plate I- interposea spiralspring,,j, while at the opposite end thetubular rack is held on the rodby suitable nuts, Whenv the apparatus is subjected to sudden shocks,,thespring j will be compressed: between the plateA and the end of thetubular rack K, the rod: k moving longitudinally inside the rack. In.Fig. 10 I have shown another construction,in which the anvil D is fixedto-or forms part of. thequadrant or rack G,andthe striker- 1 pin. a, isprovided with a; piston or disk, 6", adapted to a small cylinder orcasing, e, which 65. is carried by the plate A A spring, j, is

interposed between the disk 6 and the end of the casing, so as to takeupthe sudden shocks or jars, as will be readily understood.

The construction illustrated in Fig. 1l is substantially similar to thatillustratedin Fig; 9,, except that instead of pivoting the bar k, whichcarries the tubular rack,to a fixed block on the spring-plate A, I pivotit to ablock on an adj nst-able spring-plate, m, which is secured to thespring-plate A, and may be adjusted, as found desirable, by means of aset-screw, p.

In the modificationillustrated in Figs. 12 and 13 the rack C and pinionb on the axis of the pointer are dispensed with, and the axis 1) isprovided with a counter-weight or spring, H, a cord, h, coiled aroundthe axis, giving a rotary strain on: the axis b equivalent to the actionof the spring a of the eonstructionillustrated in Figs. 4 and 5-. Thespring-plate A 1 has, a yielding connection with the axis 11, throughthe medium. of a cord or chain, 13, one end of which is. connected tothe said plate A and the other coiled aroundv the axis and connected toit, as illustrated, so that when under the steady strain of the weightthe spring-plates are deflected and the shaft b is thereby relievedfrom: the pull of the chain or cord: i the weight or spring II. willturn the pointer toa corresponding extent. The yielding connectionbetween the axis of the pointer .and. the spring-plate, formed by thecord t', will prevent the injurious action of sudden strains upon theworking parts of the apparatus. I

In the construction shown in Figs. 14, 14",

providedv with .a weight, H, similar to that described with reference toFigs. 12' and 13, and a. quadrantal rack, G, pivoted to the block B,carried by the spring-plate A, gears into a pinion, b, on the said axis1). Secured to or forming part of the rack G or its axis is a piece, 9?,whiclr carries an: adjustable pin, g, connected by aslottedlink, 1, tothe spring-plate A", through. the medium iof an adjustable plate, a, asdescribed with reference to Fig. 11. The link Zis connected toa blockon: the adjustable. plate 12., as illustrated in Fig; 14", and the pin 9is free to play in the slot of the link Z, but normally bears againstthe end of the latter, as illustrated in :Fig. 14, so that steadiystrains. will be transmi-tted to move the pointer over the dial butwhen. the apparatus." is: subjected to. sudden 1shocks, and: the plate:A thereby deflected, :the link 1 will momentarily slide on the pin. L orstud g.

Asseen inv Fig. 14,.the stud or pin-gisimounted: eccentrically inthepiece 9, so as to allow 5 of a: limited adjustment by rotating thepin-inthe piece-g.

Instead of the slotted link Z, other forms of yielding connection;between the plate Aand the qnadrantal' rack may be employed. Forinstance, in. Fig. 1-6:I have shown the slotted and 15 the axisb of? thepointer is shown as link or loop as replaced by a short chain, Z theoperation of which is substantially similar to that of the link.

Any of the above-described constructions will give a cheap, reliable,and light-weighing machine, which is not liable to be injured by suddenshocks or strains, and where the spring-plate a is used the injuriouseffects of the actions from such sudden shocks will be avoided. Thisspringplate a may be replaced by a spring or springs in any otherposition which will give the required yielding eifect against therebounding action due to sudden shocks.

The spring blades or plates may be of any suitable construction and bemade of any desired number of leaves. They may be bowed outward orinward, or may be tempered fiat and be deflected from their naturalposition by means of a spiral spring or springs, or be otherwisearranged, as found desirable.

I claim as my invention- 1. The herein-described indicating apparatus,comprising deflecting spring-plates, a dial and pointer operatedthereby, and an independently-yielding connection between thespring-plates and pointer to relieve from sudden shocks, substantiallyas set forth.

2. The combination of the deflecting springplates of an indicatingapparatus, a pointer and dial carried by one of said plates, and a rackcarried or moved by the other plate, with an independently-yieldingconnection between the rack and its plate, as and for the purpose setforth.

3. The combination of the deflecting-plates of an indicating apparatus,a dial, pointer, and pinion carried by one of the plates, with a rackgearing with the pinion, a yielding spring, and a bearing-pin, c,eccentrically adjustable, substantially as described.

4:. The combination of the deflecting-plates of an indicating apparatus,a dial, pointer, and pinion carried by one of,said plates, with a rackgearing with said pinion and having an anvil, D, a bearing-pin, 6,carried by the other deflecting-plate, and a yielding connection betweenthe latter and the rack, all substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS HENRY WARD.

\Vitnesses:

EDMUND HOWE,

The Quarries, TV. Dudley. OLIVER Hown,

Woodsetton, l V. Dudley.

